The Hidden Cost of Perfectionism

Learn why ‘good enough’ is beyond perfect and how small failures lead to big growth.

Who here hasn’t felt the weight of perfectionism?

What if aiming for perfection is precisely what’s holding you back? We’re bombarded by near-perfect images, posts, and projects. Filters, retakes, and polished drafts have made us all feel like we have to look flawless—or risk looking like an idiot.

So, you post your article, note, or video, and then immediately wonder, “Is it good enough?” You see colleagues or people you admire sharing their latest work, and self-doubt creeps in.

And that’s where it starts: the cycle of what did I just do, exhaustion, and burnout.

When I was young, I was fearless. I’d dress up, create “epic” ways to entertain my family, and live freely in the moment without second-guessing myself. There’s me leading a parade around the dining room table or coordinating a dance routine with my cousins.

There was no “Oops, I look silly” or “Did I mess up?”

But as I grew up, I became more focused on emulating my favorite creators and entrepreneurs. Suddenly, done was never done, and perfect was just a pipe dream.

Here’s the hard truth: Perfectionism isn’t helping us—it’s holding us back.

When we avoid risks because failure feels too big a risk, here’s what happens:

• We try to make everything look flawless on the surface.
• We avoid any real risks (which means avoiding real growth).
• We pretend we don’t make mistakes (when in reality, we do—constantly).

But what happens when we do this? We miss out on learning moments, we get frustrated, and in the end, we end up feeling worse.

It took me a long time to get over that.

Whenever I wanted to try something new, that little voice whispered, “What if you mess up? What if you look like an idiot?” And the cycle continued. I loved building my business, but perfectionism was slowly putting out the fire.

So, I pulled up my big girl pants.

I decided to lean into mistakes. What if I could start, maybe fail a little, learn a lot, and finally break the perfectionism cycle?

It turns out, that was precisely what I needed. Most advice out there tells us that success means never messing up—but that’s not true.

So here’s what I learned:

• Embrace flaws—we all have them, and they’re what make us real.
• Celebrate small failures—think of them as stepping stones.
• Redefine “perfect” as “progress” rather than flawlessness.

Real growth comes from being real, not from being perfect.

It took a lot of “Did I actually do that?” moments, but I got there. Perfectionism stops you before you start. It keeps you worrying when you could be creating, connecting, and learning.

So why not let go of the need to be flawless? Why not embrace the real growth that comes from showing up imperfectly?

What you truly want is authentic, confident growth—and that means making space for epic fails and major wins alike. Because that’s where the learning happens.

So, here’s my challenge to you: Start something, fail a little, learn a lot, and watch how much you grow.